The Duke men's basketball team on the heels of the winning the program's fourth national championship in April is back on top of the Top 25 after being voted No. 1 in the USA TODAY/ESPN coaches preseason poll. The Blue Devils, led by seniors Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith, claimed 29 first-place votes in a balloting of 31 head basketball coaches, one from each Division I conference.

Four days after coaching the USA to a gold medal in the FIBA world championships, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski had a lot to say about tournament MVP and NBA star Kevin Durant. Krzyzewski didn't hype Durant's record-setting scoring. He couldn't wait to tell his Duke players about Durant's big defensive plays.

Nuggets coach George Karl must be feeling better. His sarcastic sense of humor is back. Standing behind the cameras as Duke center Brian Zoubek conducted an interview after a predraft workout at the Pepsi Center on Monday, Karl couldn't resist a dig at the Blue Devils' recent national title.

Duke and Butler will meet again next season, eight months after their classic national championship game. The two schools will play Dec. 4 in what is sure to be a highly anticipated regular-season game at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J. The Blue Devils won their fourth NCAA title in Indianapolis on April 5 by beating the fan favorite Bulldogs 61-59, as Gordon Hayward's potential winning shot from halfcourt bounced off the rim.

Seth Curry went unnoticed through most of the NCAA tournament. The 6-1 Duke guard usually sat quietly in the locker room in slacks and oxfords, munching on food from boxed dinners distributed to players after games.

They got the chance they wanted, and they got the shot they wanted. One basket away from a stunning, historic national championship, the Butler Bulldogs missed. Butler star forward Gordon Hayward's mid-range jump shot a bucket would have given Butler a 61-60 lead with seven seconds left bounced off the rim.

Kyle Singler came into the Final Four coming off an 0-for-10 shooting performance against Baylor in the South Regional final. Duke's junior forward exits Indianapolis as a national champion and as the Final Four's most outstanding player.

Mike Krzyzewski sensed how the story would be written. It would be about history, a fourth national championship for one of college basketball's crown-jewel programs. It would be about himself, about a Hall of Fame coach in his 30th year at Duke, tying Adolph Rupp's four titles with only John Wooden who won 10 ahead.